October is Window Covering Safety Month

October marks the sixth annual national Window Covering Safety Month, sponsored by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC).

The whole month of October is dedicated to this national campaign. Its goal is to increase the consumer’s awareness of window cord safety and urge parents with young children to replace all corded blinds, shades and draperies with today’s growing variety of safer cordless products.

According to the CPSC, since 1990 approximately 200 infants and young children have died from accidentally strangling in window cords. These tragedies occur because parents are not aware of the hazards of window cords.  Throughout October the CPSC, WCSC and retailers will alert parents to the potential dangers of window cords and give them information on how to safe-proof their windows to protect their children.

The WCSC began a national window cord safety information and education program in 1995.  This program is still very active today as the Council provides consumers with free retrofit tassels, tie-downs and cord stops for window coverings made before 2001.  Free retrofit devices can be ordered through WCSC’s Web site at www.windowcoverings.org, or its toll-free phone line at 1-800-506-4636.

Click the download link below to receive additional child safety information from the Hunter Douglas Child Safety at the Window brochure.